act and similar acts that some of my colleagues in this chamber have faced in aurora, in portland, oakland, tucson, blacksburg, littleton, you can't help but feel a despairing of the soul. we in this institution cannot afford that luxury. we need to be strong for the families of the fallen in newtown and for the families of children all over america, to the newtown community and to all of the connecticut families and parents and the siblings who have been touched by what happened on friday, our thoughts and our prayers are with you. what you are going through is indescribable. we can be sympathetic. we can be empathetic. we do not know that sense of despair that you feel. you must know that our nation shares and mourns your loss. i, too, and my colleagues chris murphy acknowledged the tremendous heroism of the adults who were killed on friday, individuals like principal dawn hock sprung who ran at the assassin, told people to run away from them in order to protect her kids in the school. the school teacher vicky soto, stratford, connecticut, and i represent stratford, connecticut, who in t